


Breaking Free

by IRegretNothingAndEverything



Series: Muzzled [2]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: High School AU, Human AU, Hurt/Comfort, Implied abuse, Kinda, Running away from home, thats where they are rn, well stated but not on screen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26558419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IRegretNothingAndEverything/pseuds/IRegretNothingAndEverything
Summary: Host breaks out of his home with Dark, Mal, and Wilford's help.
Relationships: The Host & Darkiplier
Series: Muzzled [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931320
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Breaking Free

**Author's Note:**

> Hewwo I love this AU <3

At this point, Dark knew well how Host’s family was. Dark’s own parents were absent, but not unloving. Busy was the best work Dark had for it. Host’s, on the other hand... 

Well, Dark wasn’t often filled with murderous rage, but with Host’s so called family, they made an exception. 

The beginning of senior year, Host seemed to be exhausted near constantly. His bandages needed changing far more often, which Dark often ended up dragging him to do during passing periods, even as Host tended to try and avoid them. It wasn’t going to work, since they had all their classes together, and Host’s way of communicating didn’t work on anyone but him, Mal, and Wilford half the time, and even then, most people didn’t know sign. 

It was then that Dark managed to find the bruises. 

Host had always come to school with bruises. Small ones, easily hidden, nothing that Dark could prove, but now, they were dark. Fingers wrapped too harshly around a wrist, dark bruising down his ribs, a hand wrapped around his throat hidden my a scarf in the middle of August. 

“Host.” 

He did nothing, but kept himself turned away, sitting on the counter of the A Building bathroom, where Dark had managed to steal his scarf, finally revealing the purpleing bruises across his neck, and arms, and finally his ribs and back. 

“Host please. You need to get out of there.” 

_I know_

“You can stay with me.” 

Host’s head came up, hands stilling in the air. _Really?_

“I’ve told you this before, Host.” Dark shifted forwards, grabbing his hand to stop him from being able to push this away. Host pouted at them, but Dark didn’t let it deter them. “I know you think you can handle it until then, but Host... please. Just come stay with me.” 

Host tugged his hand away carefully. _They’ll know I’m with you though. What happens if they report me as a runaway?_

“Okay, so we get Wilford and Mal into it. Bounce you around houses until they stop looking. Stay out of school for awhile, and we’ll bring you whatever work you have, and we’ll pass it back to the teachers. It’s fine.” 

_You’ve thought about this a lot._

Dark sent him a look, scoffing at that. “Oh yes, because I wouldn’t think about how to get my best friend out of his abusive home.” Host smiled softly, nodding a bit. “So?” 

There was a moment’s pause, before Host sighed, and nodded. _Fine. I’ll pack a bag tonight, pass it off to you tomorrow. Get whatever I need, might need two trips for that, but... Yeah._

Dark grinned. “Good. Now come on. Mal and Wilford are probably tired of waiting, and they need in on the plan too.” 

Host hopped off the counter, reaching out a hand to catch Dark’s sleeve, Dark draping the scarf around his neck again and walking him out of the bathroom, towards Wilford’s car. 

* * *

The plan was simple. Day One, Host got important things out, anything of sentimental value to him, anything that he wanted to keep with him that he probably couldn’t get a second thing of. Snuck it out of the house late at night, hid it in the bushes outside his house, and, when Wilford stopped outside to pick him up for school, he stepped out, grabbing Host’s bag from the bush and tossed it in the back seat with all his other random things, where no one would expect it. Day two was clothing and toiletries, same idea, and then, one day three, when Wilford grabbed the bags from the bush, sliding them into the back once more, Host got into the car, leaving the house behind for the last time. 

They took all of Host’s things to Wilford’s house first. Mal’s family wasn’t exactly around to care, but they didn’t want to risk it being one of those few times they were around to give a shit, so Wilford’s it was. Host and Wilford were close, but everyone would assume Host was camping at Dark’s house first, and then Mal, and then Wilford. If the police were called, they would go to Dark first, and, if they had a proper warrant, which Dark was going to doubt they did, after the police searched the house, Dark would be able to send a text to Wilford, who would then sneak Host and his things to Dark’s house, while the police went to Mal’s home, and then be back by the time they got to Wilford’s. If, of course, they had the proper paperwork, which they all seriously doubted they would have. 

The only hitch was if they left someone to watch Dark’s house, which was a possibility, but Dark’s father was a man higher up in the city, and could, if asked, cover for them. Dark dealt with that part on day two, while Host sat in the house for the last time, clothing packed up and hidden in the bushes. 

When Host got to school that day, there was a nervous energy about all of them. Everyone could tell they were planning something, but what was unknown. As usual, the four of them left together, using Wilford’s car, again, as usual, going straight to Wilford’s house. 

There, they stayed, until Dark’s father called him home, and Mal left with him, leaving Wilford and Host behind. Host was extremely anxious about it, pacing back and forth across the floor, chewing on his thumbnail nervously. Wilford managed to get him to stop chewing, since he had seen first hand what Host could do, chewing through his own skin in his panic. 

_What if they know?_

“Well I assume at this point they know, Hosty. I don’t know the protocol of calling in a runaway, but I think they would call it in if they still want you under their control.” 

_Everyone saw me leaving with you._

“You always do that. We usually go to Dark’s house, we talked about going to Dark’s house. Dark is your best friend. They will look there first.” Wilford caught Host’s hands again, keeping him from chewing. “You need to get some sleep, alright. I’m sure you’re going to be pacing nervously all day tomorrow.” 

Host sighed, nodding slightly, and they curled up on the couch together. Even then, Host didn’t fall asleep until two am. 

* * *

Mal stayed in Wilford’s house with Host the next day. He got multiple texts from Dark, as Dark told him exactly what was going on. 

“So... They definitely called you in.” Mal said, one arm around Host, who nodded slowly. “Multiple teachers called Dark out of class to see if they knew where you are. We have a running count of the people who have stopped them at this point, it’s nearly every single staff at this point.” 

Host laughed softly, lifting his head up towards Mal. Obliging, Mal leaned down, kissing his forehead. 

“A few also stopped Wilford, but Dark is really being targeted at this point. If I had gone, I think I would have also been pretty targeted.” 

Host nodded again, and settled quietly against Mal’s side, wrapping his arms around Mal’s waist, half asleep. He hadn’t slept well really, and Mal let him drift back off. 

It was later that day when Dark sent the text. 

‘Police stopped by. Dad got them to go away. Apparently, even if the family has suspicions of the runaway being in the house, they can’t search without a warrant, since it’s obvious that Host is a runaway, not a kidnapping. How did he clean out his room with that few bags?’ 

_I’m good at packing things apparently, not that I really had much I wanted to keep._ Host grinned up at Mal, and Mal had the passing thought of how they were going to get Host’s braces off when the time came, but it slipped past as Host’s hand went into motion once more. _The laws of space mean nothing to me._

“I’m telling Dark that, and they can be the one to debate that with you.” Mal ignored Host’s movements, which only led to a fight for the phone, as incomprehensible key smash texts were sent to Dark, to which they only replied ‘Don’t die.’ 

When the fighting died down, only due to Wilford coming in with food for the three of them, Mal managed to send the text of ‘Host believes the laws of space are nothing’ and waited for that bomb to drop. 

The next day was, luckily, a weekend, meaning they could spend the day sitting with Host and calming his anxieties, while also evading the police, just in case. Dark’s father, while not fully in the loop of everything, had gotten enough information to stall the warrant process if it started, but, as far as they could tell, it wasn’t going to. Host wasn’t considered an abducted child, and, considering he was seventeen at this point, a senior in high school, the police really couldn’t do much. There were a few months until his eighteenth birthday, and, by that point, no one could touch him. 

So, that day, they moved Host and his things from Wilford’s to Dark’s. There was a car stationed outside that they didn’t like the look of, but one text to Dark had his father coming down just to be sure, so they could sneak Host in with his stuff, up into Dark’s room. 

Host lay on the floor, Mal laying across his chest, grinning. He hadn’t moved to say anything at the moment, but Dark didn’t think he needed to, the grin saying everything. Wilford leaned against Dark’s side, where they sat on the bed, looking down at the two of them. 

“So... how are we going to celebrate this?” 


End file.
